A cluster of six Norfolk villages abandoned by their residents and now used for military training feature in a new book describing Britain's most fascinating deserted locations.
The villages, in the south west of the county, were taken over by the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War to train soldiers for the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation.
During the conflict, West Tofts, Sturston, Langford, Stanford, Buckenham Tofts and Tottington were evacuated and the residents were told they would be able to return after the war. However, the military ended up hanging on to the area.
Its intriguing history features in a new book, Shadowlands: A journey through lost Britain, by historian Matthew Green.
In it, he recounts how the villagers were given their marching orders and the training facility was established.
It was used extensively in the build-up to D-Day. The military then continued to use it throughout the Cold War.
In 2009, a replica Afghan village was set up on the site to prepare troops for deployment to Afghanistan.
During exercises there, an amputee actor was employed and his leg stub dressed to resemble the recently severed limb of a suicide bombing victim.
A mechanical pump was used to shoot out huge quantities of fake blood which was so realistic that some soldiers were physically sick, the book claims.
The transformation of the site was so thorough that it recreated every last detail - including playing out calls to prayer and producing the smell of Afghan cooking.
The facility - known as the Stanford Training Area - was also used for filming some scenes for Dad's Army.
While villagers have never returned to dwell in any of the villages, each December, descendants of those who lived in West Tofts are allowed to return to its church for a carol service.
In the book, Mr Green wrote: "For the rest of the year, the splendour is for the ghosts."
Other British 'ghost towns'
The book features the stories of several other 'ghost towns' as it takes its reader on a whistlestop tour of the abandoned and desolate.
Its first stop is Skara Brae, a collection of sandstone houses on the main island of the Orkneys - previously lost to the sand but revealed when a section of beach was washed away in 1850.
Closer to home, Mr Green also explores the drowned medieval city of Dunwich, which is off the coast of Suffolk.
Once a major port of 5,000 people and the Saxon capital of East Anglia, the settlement fell victim to coastal erosion and, in 1922, saw one of its church towers collapse into the sea.
He also visits Wharram Percy, a deserted medieval village in Yorkshire which never fully repopulated after being torn apart by the plague.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here